Validation of the Tilburg Pregnancy Distress Scale among pregnant women in Capricorn District, South Africa

ABSTRACT

Background

The Tilburg Pregnancy Distress Scale (TPDS) was developed to measure pregnancy-specific psychological distress among pregnant women.

Method

The present study evaluated the psychometric properties of the TPDS in a South African location. Analysis was conducted using data obtained from a sample of 205 participants (average age = 27.69 years [SD = 5.977], average gestation weeks = 25.37 weeks [SD = 8.448]; domicile = 63% rural) attending their antenatal check-ups at various medical health facilities in the Capricorn District, Limpopo Province. The analysis involved structural and convergent validation.

Results

Fit indices showed that the three-factor, second-order solution fitted the data better. The reliability estimates of the main TPDS factors, partner involvement (PI) and negative affect (NA), were good, and were obviously not influenced by gravidity. The associations of the TPDS factors with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) Depression and Anxiety, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Scale (PRAS) were not generally good.

Conclusion

The results suggest that in spite of the TPDS having potential to be used in South Africa, further validation studies are required.

KEYWORDS:

• Convergent validity
• psychological distress
• pregnant women
• structural validity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).